Return of item unde...
 

[Closed] Return of item under sale of goods act?

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Morning lads.

So i bought a bike in Feb 2012, since then i've ridden it 3 times. Mostly because it's been away being repaired. The problems are all related to the shock and forks and 'clunking' when at Max extension/rebound.
This week i collected the bike after the 3rd repair and the guy had replaced the fork lowers and installed a new rebound cartridge (£150 upgrade, done for free)... This has sorted the front end out lovely... but the back end still 'donks' when you bounce on the pedals standing up. It is now less noticable than when i first rode it, but it's still there anyway.

The repair work has been carried out by the UK rep, not by the LBS i bought it from... that's because he's 60 miles away and the LBS is over 300 away from me. However it has cost me £40 in fuel to collect the bike and like i say, i've still only ridden it 3 times. One of them times was with the UK rep, the other 2 were <10 miles each.

So, today i've emailed the company requesting a return/refund/exchange. They have 3 bikes in stock that would suit my needs/sizes, 2 of them being £500 more than i paid for this one. So i think i'm showing good will and reasonable thoughts on it...

Lets assume for a second they say "no" for whatever reason, what's my plan ? I bought the bike on my Credit Card (for the protection you see), this has now been paid off.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:33 am
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*Searches weeksy history*


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:40 am
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*Searches weeksy history*


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:40 am
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Awwww don't mate. I don't want to turn it into a slanging match etc. The company/bloke has been brilliant and MORE than reasonable... but i'm simply not happy keeping it and trusting it.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:41 am
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If they say no your option is to sue them in the small claims court.

By allowing them to attempt repair its weakened your case and the time span is a bit long

However its still your right - refund / replace / repair your choice to a maximum liability of what you paid for the bike

However your contract is with the shop no one else


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:43 am
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You can't expect them to upgrade you for free.

But if the bike is not fit for use then you can expect a refund.

Ps: I don't think you can legitimately call it a LBS if it's 300miles away. (the [b]L[/b] stands for Local)


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:43 am
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Having a quick look at your history is it an ex demo? so not a new bike then?


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:44 am
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I didn't expect them to upgrade it for free, the guy did that off his own back and i was quite shocked when i picked it up as i was debating purchasing the item anyway.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:44 am
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im fairly sure i can guess the company without looking from the symptoms.

someone i know got favourable deals from the importers on the bikes and in the end even he admitted they were a pile of crap - good idea poorly executed ! - he returned his after having it fixed quite a few times

he had exactly the same issues - as well as others. iirc his LBS stopped stocking them

their demo fleet wasnt in much better nick !


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:45 am
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No TJ, it was brand new but had a mark on the paint as it was in the shop and got knocked when on display.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:46 am
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im fairly sure i can guess the company without looking from the symptoms.

someone i know got favourable deals from the importers on the bikes and in the end even he admitted they were a pile of crap - good idea poorly executed ! - he returned his after having it fixed quite a few times

he had exactly the same issues - as well as others. iirc his LBS stopped stocking them

their demo fleet wasnt in much better nick !

My neighbour has 2 of them, he loves them and doesn't have any of the issues i have with mine, hence me knowing mine isn't quite right as his DEFFO doesn't do it.
I think on the whole the bikes are great.... just not this particular one.

When riding on a trail you don't notice the problem and the bike is totally exceptional... i'm quicker on it than on anything else i've owned... but... that's not enough really is it.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:49 am
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Have you tried putting a different shock on to see if that solves it?


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:50 am
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You can't expect them to upgrade you for free.
But if the bike is not fit for use then you can expect a refund.

Was in relation to this .......

They have 3 bikes in stock that would suit my needs/sizes, 2 of them being £500 more than i paid for this one. So i think i'm showing good will and reasonable thoughts on it...


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:51 am
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Can't fit a different shock, it's complex... but can't be done.

Neal, i'm happy to pay the £500 difference, i wasn't asking for that for free.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 8:55 am
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LBS is over 300 away from me

Not particularly "L" then...

Problem with a complex bike, like a Bionicon, is its harder to try alternatives.
Is there not a standard length and stroke shock you could try, even if the adjustment doesn't work? It'll rule out shoddy bushes/bearings etc.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 9:08 am
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Not particularly "L" then...

Problem with a complex bike, like a Bionicon, is its harder to try alternatives.
Is there not a standard length and stroke shock you could try, even if the adjustment doesn't work? It'll rule out shoddy bushes/bearings etc

Agreed, not particularly local, but i doubt i'm the first or last person to buy a bike from miles away.

I could in theory as my neighbour to fit one of his shocks to mine for an hour or so to try... Although i'm not sure if he'll go for that LOL. I think both of his models/shocks are compatible with mine.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 9:14 am
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does the guy you're dealign with acknowledge the noise is happening and shouldn't be?


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 9:18 am
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wwaswas - Member
does the guy you're dealign with acknowledge the noise is happening and shouldn't be?

Yup, he's happy (in a relative context anyway) that the noise/feeling is there and shouldn't be there.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 9:22 am
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Spent an hour with bloke next door and with his Tesla and Edison. He/We think it's a bit of a non-issue really.

His Edison does simillar, the Tesla does not though.

When we set the pressures to more appropriate levels, it was pretty hard to get it to replicate

Testing mine outside, it's only really if you're 'forcing' the problem to happen now that it actually manifests. When riding normally, you don't notice it

I'd like to do one last check tomorrow out on some trails as i'm working from home so will have a spare hour to test...

Other than that, it seems like it may be there, or may be more my over-active imagination.


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 6:31 pm
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Just to close this off, the bike is staying, it's all good.

Both Bionicon and Square Wheels have been very good 🙂


 
Posted : 03/05/2012 12:35 pm
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When we set the pressures to more appropriate levels, it was pretty hard to get it to replicate

So is it 'clunking' only when there isn't enought air in the shock?


 
Posted : 03/05/2012 12:44 pm
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Well it clunks more when less pressure, so almost yes. However when it was sent to Bionicon it would clunk more, irrespective of the pressure.


 
Posted : 03/05/2012 12:50 pm